Tutorials

I made my first base when i was a boy of 11,because i come from a generation of make do.As i near becoming 69 i thought it was time i passed the process along.

A few days ago the mail arrived,and with lots of free packaging. "I`ll use some of this".i said to MrsB."___ She smiled.Well i was in between model making toys as things were glued up and drying.

So i selected and cut good size pieces to the required size. These will cost a few Pennies for PVA Glue,and dry sand used. The two will be glued together one on top of the other.

The corrugated groves reinforce this base by running opposite__ across each other.

Once glued together it was laid out upon a flat surface to dry out.

When it was completely dry one side was brushed over with glue.

It was then time to lay it flat and sand it for the first time. One just need patients waiting for it to dry.

Eventually It was turned over and the sand moved aside. Glue was applied like before and after laying it flat. Yes it was sanded.

So each side was sanded this will stop it from bending.

Once dried out it was turned over and that side glued up and sanded again . Then after drying out the other side was re-sanded as before.

When dried hard it remained flat,and so it was time for the edges to be treated. Brushed with the glue,and making sure it was worked into the groves it was laid out flat and sand was poured over it and pushed into the glue. This process was repeated on all the edges.

I actually made two good bases for this demonstration.

After a tidy up they were left flat for a couple of days to completely go rock hard,and without bending a bow.

I love it when a plan of action requiring very little work time comes together.

Flat hard as rock on both sides,and cheaper than chips to produce.

My friend Blucher1815red,said of me on You Tube," Paul makes things out of nothing." Of course one must have something to botch a playful brush upon,.......

.. but in this case cardboard packaging was a good strong no extra cost something to use.

There you go job done and sand brushed away. They are ready for any artful imagination to gander a smile upon.

Yes one can buy ready made tiles or bases, but this is quite a fun time satisfying playful easy thing to do.

Upon my large table top i actually made more sanded things,but they are for showing upon another day. Thanks for taking time out to look. BB

I just checked these out,and realised they are well fit for purpose and really in terms of price cost nothing at all to produce.

Here they are my other flat double sided shaped bases. However all is not as it first appears to be,because by pealing off the facing paper from the cardboard on one side then sanding it in the same way as already described.

Other uses come into play. unfolded before your very eyes, a stretch of garden or just a 15mm field.All they need is a little bit more of imagination to colour and dress up. Perhaps even yours?

I hope some have found this topic interesting? Like the cardboard this information comes for free.BB

Yes Mrs B,and i realised the shoe shape shuffle of sandy dandy things too. Top Tip, is to stop them bending sand the bottom too. It only entails another couple of minutes extra work.Another tip is, cutting bends and curves into the pieces actually make them stronger than straight line of sight bases.As for fields they come in all shapes and sizes. Cardboard offers many a choice other than using carpet or doormats. I will be doing a few walls next. Perhaps a complete building later. I wonder how that sandy dandy will turn out ? BB

Part of a plastic reel that came in a Garden Plant Wire Tie roll delivery. The plastic is very brittle and so therefore is not suitable for conversion,but has a good use as a tool.

Here i used it as a pattern to trace around,and once mapped out my salotape role was placed so the drawing was in the middle,then i drew around the outside of the tape.

A START OF A SOMETHING ELSE____________ A WATER WHELL

This sure saved time on measuring and marking out , and apart from a ballpoint pen and a craft knife no more tools were needed to make both sides of this wheel. It sure is surprising how packaging can help out the model maker. One just has to have eyes for it.

Before the actual scratch-build using throw away cardboard stuff i decided to make the entire water wheel so Just follow along if if you have a wish to.

Having never before made one,anything misshape might well happen along the way.

" There`s always a first for anything!"

The first cutouts were stuck onto a piece of paper card. This in turn when dry was trimmed out and with the paper side glued up nicely it was stuck onto another sheet of balsa wood. The paper card formed a good strong membrane between the two softer sides.

Sure it looks a crude kind of something,which is perfect for me. "I`m confused already."

All cut out again,and scribed out. All the edges rounded over with a pen. This further strengthens the edges,and hopefully improve the visual aspect of the work.

Cross sections cut to size....... " and steel balls"

This is where they will go. The center hole for the pivot needed cutting out first. I used my craft knife to bore them out,and my pen the same size as the drive shaft ( Spindle ) tidied each one up perfectly for a later fixing into place.

I find the empty pen a darn good tool. A tiny jig forms the space needed between each double sided wheel. This is shown only by way of illustration at this time.

So each cross section has been glued into place,and the spacing jig is seen in a better light,but what are the steel shot gun pellets for? That is for revealing at another time. "i hope ta see ya then."BB

Thank you Dalibor, i will try not to disappoint. The sauce of inspiration for this piece comes from on line photographs of old abandoned Water Mills. The tumble, ramshackle, broken - down appeals to my rickety self style way of free expression. BB

Both sides have cross beam supports now added ,and the old Mill Wheel is steadily falling bit by simple bit into some kind of make sense place.

Recycling Packaging!

Iron ring housings from ordinary cardboard.Each strip was cut out and flattened.

Each strip was glued up then wound around my pen.

So they fitted nicely onto my dowel.

Each tiny piece of metal shot represents large iron work. They are stuck fast tight ,and are big bold and i feel most fitting for this kind of make do project.Both side of each wheel is to be fitted out with iron as is the metal housing ring. BB

The steel shot gun pellets which one can buy in order to weigh down Teddy Bears upon a shelf,is a sure fired winner for this over the top project. I tried looking for my humpbacked railway bridge in order to finish it off complete with these hardened steel balls,but alas it could not be found. Bah Humbug!

Plan BConstructed in the same way using the empty packaging above as a pattern to draw around and already dealt with. So another rather basic system ,but with a few subtle changes.

Wooden pegs,and how they are stuck into the smaller paddle support. Another shows how they look when cut off but left sticking out proud of the wooden piece.

This second Mill Wheel will have those wooden pegs fixed to both sizes of extended paddle supports.Both wheels will be finished off and will fit and slip into place into whatever i decide to build. That will develop as i draw it out from my own imagination.

Tools used as before. One empty half of that seen above used as a pattern to draw around, A pen, a safety ruler ,a sharp pointed craft knife. " and a medium and small paint brush." added the little button that is always willing to help. Materials used, Balsa Wood,and PVA Glue.